A device in a vehicle for absorbing impact energy with a fastening beam for a bumper element on the vehicle frame can be taken from EP1 079 992 B1; that fastening beam has at least two walls running in longitudinal direction which are provided with one or several openings in order to accommodate one or several through-bolts. In the event of a collision impact or a vehicle collision the bolts are moved along predetermined lines relative to the respective energy-absorbing walls of the fastening beam and/or the vehicle frame and/or the bumper in order to enlarge those openings subject to the formation of strips. To this end, the bolts are designed so that they shear off the wall material in order to enlarge or elongate the openings in the energy-absorbing wall.
A bumper with the plate-like holders crossing the longitudinal axis of its longitudinal beam is described in EP0 718 158 B1 with the reference that in addition to the cross-sectional shape of the bumper the embodiment of the connection to the vehicle longitudinal beam also influences the shape retention capability of said bumper as well as its compensating capacity for the impacting deformation energy.
For fastening the bumper to the vehicle a multiplicity of holders are known. For example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,410 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,028, but which are hardly able to improve the shape retention capability of a bumper upon an impact.
In EP0 894 675 A1 a bumper arrangement is described, wherein the holding elements of the bumper expand conically and thus its outer walls come to hug the profile wall of the bumper or merge with said profile wall of the bumper.
With DE 298 23 973 U1 particularly light bumpers are proposed which, in severely loaded regions, are reinforced by an additional profile. Here, the reinforcement profile can also consist of a part of a holding device for the bumper. In the latter case the side walls of the holding device expand conically and come hug the profile strips of the bumper.
Knowing these circumstances the inventor has made it his objective to create a bumper of the type mentioned at the outset which with low weight comprises a high degree of shape retention with adequate compensation capacity for the impacting deformation energy, i.e. an efficient energy absorption element is created. Manufacture and handling of the bumper as well as the profiled element are to be very simple and the longitudinal beam forces are to be lower as well as central. In addition, there is the object of compensating the influence of the various materials on one another; the corrosion between a profiled element or a crashbox of aluminum and a longitudinal steel beam must be prevented. In addition, the inaccuracy of the components during the joining process is to be compensated and a relatively large gap between crashbox and longitudinal beam is to be closed.
The teaching of the independent claim leads to the solution of this object; the subclaims state favorable further developments. The scope of the invention additionally comprises all combinations of at least two characteristics disclosed in the description, the drawing and/or the claims. With stated designation regions, values located within the mentioned limits are to be disclosed as limit values and applicable as desired.